kiddie land

English

Etymology

Originating in the 1940s and 1950s.

Noun

kiddie land (plural kiddie lands)

  1. A designated area for children, including playgrounds at parks and picnic areas, indoor playplaces, arcades, and family fun centers.
    • 1949, Unattributed, Popular Mechanics ~ 1949‎[1], page 144:
      That's why it is a welterweight railroad — a line that falls somewhere between a kiddie land special and the standard lines that have survived through the boisterous history of American railroading.
    • 1950, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc., The Exhibitor (Aug-Nov 1950) All Editions‎[2], page 888:
      Sidney Lust is looking to next spring, and is planning an elaborate kiddie land for his Beltsville Drive-In.
    • 1951, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc., The Exhibitor (Feb-May 1951) All Editions‎[3], page 584:
      B and K is preparing to open a kiddieland park in Toledo, O. . . . More than a thousand children packed the Batavia […]
    • 1969, Time Magazine, Time 1959 all numbers‎[4], page 102:
      A kiddie-land department-store Santa believes he is the real Claus.
    • 1963, U.S. Congress, Journals and Records of the 88th United States Congress‎[5], page 783:
      SBA made loans to […] amusement parks, and a kiddieland picnic ground.
  2. A specialized area within larger amusement parks featuring slow-moving, gentle rides, playgrounds, and attractions specifically designed for young children and toddlers; including miniature versions of ferris wheels, carousels, and boat rides.
    Coordinate term: kiddie ride
    • 1961, Allan Herschell Company of 104 Oliver Street in North Tonawanda, 1961 Allan Herschell N Tonawanda NY‎[6], page 27:
      [...] the wide-model Roller Coaster encloses an area of approximately 4000 sq. ft., some operators use this space as a “Kiddieland,” placing as many as three additional kid-rides in the center.
    • 1977, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Henry Lee Lucas‎[7], page 99:
      The relatives reside near Idlewild Park, a popular area which has ponds with ducks, a swimming pook, and a Kiddie Land playground.
    • 1977, IAAPA, Proceedings of the 60th IAAPA Convention‎[8], page 79:
      For a Kiddie-land area, ride management looks for elementary education or social work majors.
    • 1989, Jaren Moline, Bob Hoskins : an unlikely hero‎[9], page 178:
      It wasn’t so much that the film was bad, it was just… another thriller about as exciting as a kiddie-land roller coaster. See it, enjoy it, forget about it five minutes later.
    • 2007, Dawn Atkins, At Her Beck And Call (Harlequin Blaze)‎[10], page 178:
      How about a ride on the Ferris wheel? […] Come on. I worked at a kiddie land one summer. Plus, Wayne told me where the keys are.
    • 2008, George C. Nuttall, Cops Crooks and Other Crazies‎[11], page 335:
      […] still owned and operated a “kiddie-land” ride concession in the city of Hawthorne.
    • 2015, Cindy Brown, Macdeath : an Ivy Meadows mystery‎[12], page 151:
      Encanto Park was the greatest spot in Phoenix, with […] a kiddie-land amusement park complete with a small, slow train.

See also

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